


au: tv/movie

by killerqueenwrites



Series: i will always hold you close (irondad bingo) [11]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe – 9-1-1 Lone Star, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Peter Parker, FireDad, Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Overdosing, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27604916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerqueenwrites/pseuds/killerqueenwrites
Summary: Captain Tony Stark and his son Peter are comfortable in their jobs at FDNY, and have no intention of any of that changing. For now.Or, a 9-1-1: Lone Star AU.
Relationships: Past Harry Osborn/Peter Parker - Relationship, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: i will always hold you close (irondad bingo) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016994
Comments: 4
Kudos: 69





	au: tv/movie

**Author's Note:**

> if you're subscribed to me, sorry for the spam you're getting. i'm reuploading my irondad bingo one-shots as individual stories to make it easier for people to find them and so they can be stories in their own right. [ they were originally posted here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19019488/chapters/45168637)
> 
> i definitely want to continue this 9-1-1 lone star au sometime. the found family and the father-son relationship are *chef’s kiss*
> 
> ****heavy warnings here for drug misuse, drug overdose, and references to suicide** please don’t read if you’re sensitive to any of that**

The service elevator groans and clanks as it rises, filling the awkward silence. Tony adjusts his turnout coat, shuffles his feet.

Peter looks over at him. “I’m gonna propose to Harry tonight.”

“…oh,” is all Tony can manage. 

“Dad, _please_ don’t say anything.”

“I’m not.” Tony pauses. “I just think you should maybe, you know, try living together before getting engaged.”

“Come _on_ , Dad. Don’t you always say grand gestures are the way to go? Bold statements?” 

“I’ve also never been married,” Tony mutters, pushing his way out of the elevator. He doesn’t have to look to know Peter’s rolling his eyes.

They stop at the edge of the roof, and Tony breathes in through his nose, taking in the city skyline, glowing in the late afternoon light, the horns honking thirty storeys down. 

“God, I love New York,” he sighs.

Peter glances sideways, a half-smile quirking up the corner of his mouth, and for a moment he looks like the kid Tony used to know. He hates that they’re living in the same city, working out of the same firehouse, and they seem further apart than they ever have. 

Then the moment passes, and Peter tilts his head down towards the dangling window-cleaning platform. “Time to save the guy hanging thirty floors up, maybe?”

* * *

The rescue goes fine, just like Tony knew it would, because working with Peter comes as easy as breathing. The job makes everything else melt away, all the arguments, all the distance between them. Sometimes, Tony misses his kid.

“Hey, listen,” he says as they make their way back to the fire trucks, “if this is what you want, go for it. If he makes you happy…”

Peter’s eyes soften at the corners, a hint of a child desperate for approval. “Really?”

“Yeah, Pete. I just want you to be sure, but if you are, then – sorted. I support you, one hundred percent.” His problem has never been with Harry being a guy; no, it’s more the fact that Harry is _Harry_. Maybe it’s him, maybe it’s his father, but there’s something off that Tony doesn’t quite like. Still, Peter’s an adult. He needs to make his own decisions. 

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t have a wild night.”

“As if. Hey, good job today!”

Peter beams.

* * *

“Captain Stark? Captain Stark!”

Tony turns at the sound of his name being called across the firehouse, both hands wrapped around his coffee. He is by no means a morning person, but the caffeine helps.

“Captain, Deputy Fire Chief Radford? We spoke on the phone.”

“Right. Yes, sorry. How are you, sir?”

Radford smiles tightly. “I’ll try not to take too much of your time.”

“How about my office?” Tony offers, gesturing with his coffee cup. “This was about a transfer opportunity, is that right?”

“Just putting it on the table, although – truth be told – you are our first choice.”

Tony nods, weaving around his crew as they make their way through the already-bustling firehouse. Ally, Diego, Danny. No Peter. Huh. “That’s a high compliment, sir.” The office door closes behind them and they sit at Tony’s desk.

“I’m not going to beat around the bush here, Captain. I’m sure you’ve heard about the tragedy that occurred down in Texas.”

Tony has. A fire at a fertiliser plant had gone bad quickly. Only one survivor. “Yes, sir. I was very sorry to hear about it.”

“Now, our focus has to be on rebuilding. There was already an…inclusivity issue down there. I think you’re the best man – person – for the job. We need to have a diverse crew, full of talent, that can help this community heal.”

“Thank you, sir, truly, but if you’re pushing for diversity, shouldn’t you have someone a little more…diverse? I am the epitome of a straight white man.”

“We also need someone we know can rebuild and lead. We have every faith in you. You’ve done it here. We feel your talents and your experience will be a perfect fit for Austin.”

Tony has to stifle a smile at the nebulous ‘we’. Bureaucracy. “I appreciate that, sir. I can’t tell you how flattered I am that I’m your top pick, but – I built this firehouse back up from the ground. New York is my home. My life is here – my kid’s here. I’m sorry.”

Radford nods, hiding his disappointment well. “I’ll leave the offer open for a couple of days. Thank you for your time.”

“Thank you, sir.” Tony catches the door as he leaves, holding it open until one of his crew walks past. “Hey, Al, is Peter around?”

She frowns. “Haven’t seen him all morning, Captain.”

“Thanks.” He lets the door swing closed. “Shit.”

* * *

Tony should have seen it. He should have _known_. It runs in the family – addiction runs in families. He’d assumed it would be booze, like him, like his dad. A workaholic, maybe. Not drugs, not pills.

And now he’s kneeling next to his son’s body – still, lifeless – pounding on his chest as the EMTs try desperately to pump oxygen into his lungs.

“Sir, you should let us take over–“

“Peter!” Tony growls, his best _you’re in trouble_ voice. It doesn’t work. His hands keep pushing robotically, the same rhythm over and over.

Pete’s heart had stopped.

“Gimme the Narcan!” Tony snaps instead, and holds his hand out without looking away from Peter’s face. He’s so pale, so still and quiet – Peter shouldn’t be that still. Someone presses the cylinder into his hand and he jabs it into the kid’s thigh, hard.

Everything is still for a minute.

Peter’s eyes fly open and he sucks in a ragged breath, his legs kicking weakly.

“Turn him over – turn him!” Tony says sharply. “He’s gonna–“

They manage to turn Peter’s shoulders just in time for him to retch and spew white across the faux-wood floor. Tony sits back, trembling with relief.

Peter looks around, bleary-eyed, and stiffens. “Dad?”

“You’re okay,” Tony breathes, the need to protect, to comfort, overcoming everything else, “you’re okay.”

“Dad,” Peter whimpers, grabbing fistfuls of Tony’s shirt and hauling himself up, “Dad, I’m sorry.”

“Shh.” Tony helps him the rest of the way, clutching the back of his head. “You’re okay, you’re okay, buddy.”

“I’m so sorry,” Peter cries. The words are muffled in Tony’s chest, but they’re no less heart-wrenching, punctuated with broken, hiccuping sobs. “I’m sorry, I’m _sorry_ –“

“I know, it’s okay. I got you.” He rests his chin on Peter’s head, holds his son close. _I’m sorry too._

* * *

“How long has this been going on?”

Peter doesn’t answer, just sinks further into his hoodie and glares out at the New York skyline. He’d been discharged from the hospital fairly quickly, with a warning to Tony to watch him for at least the next twenty-four hours. Yeah, sure. More like the next twenty-four years.

“Peter Benjamin James _Stark_.”

“It – I don’t–“ Peter shrugs, and he looks so young and broken that something in Tony shatters. “I was always with Harry. He knew what to do, how much you should take.”

“Harry.” Tony nods. It’s a good thing he can’t physically dislike the Osborn kid any more. “Right. So that’s where you got them.”

“Yeah.”

“And where’d he get them?”

“C’mon, Dad, there’s an opioid epidemic.” Peter gestures vaguely to the city below. “You throw a stick down a street and you hit ten guys selling oxys.”

“You seem worryingly familiar with the terminology,” Tony says. “Harry’s wonderful influence, I suppose.”

“He’s in love with someone else.” Peter sniffs, scrubs his sleeve across his face. “That’s why he’s been acting weird – I thought he was just picking up on my nerves, but…he was fucking his trainer.”

“I’m sorry, buddy.”

Peter scoffs. “Why? You hate him.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t just tell you Harry Osborn was bad news and make you stay away from him. I’m sorry you had to figure it out on your own.”

“Yeah, well…” Peter looks down, pulling his sleeves over his hands, and suddenly looks sixteen instead of twenty-five. He still won’t meet Tony’s eyes.

“Why, Pete?” Tony’s throat closes over. “Were you – trying to leave, or something?”

“No!” Peter says loudly. “No, I promise, it wasn’t that – it wasn’t, Dad. I just – didn’t know my limits as well as I thought I did. And I wanted…not to think. For a few hours.”

Tony nods, tries to relax. _Still gonna keep an eye on him._ “Anything else you wanna tell me?”

A shrug. “We’ve done the Dad talk, right? Isn’t it time for the Captain talk?”

“What do you think Captain Stark is gonna say?”

“Suspend me, probably,” Peter mutters. “I missed a shift. Took drugs.”

“Not gonna suspend you.”

‘S’favouritism.”

“No. It’s keeping my kid alive. You think I’m letting you sit on your ass all day, unsupervised, after that? I marked it down as an accidental overdose.”

“‘M sorry,” Peter mumbles.

“Yeah, sorry isn’t gonna cut it anymore.” Peter flinches at his harsh tone, and Tony sighs. “I’m getting you some boxes and I’ll come over tomorrow to help you pack.”

“I am _not_ moving onto the couch in your one-bedroom apartment.”

Tony manages a grim smile. “No. You’re not.”

* * *

“ _Austin?_ ” Peter all but wails. He’s taking it about as well as Tony expected. “Like, Austin, Texas?”

“That’s the one.”

“You can’t be _serious._ ” Peter slams one of his drawers shut. 

“Deadly.”

“And – you said I wouldn’t have to live with you! This conversation happened literally last night.”

“No, I said you wouldn’t have to sleep on my couch. Good news: we’re getting a two-bed.”

“I am _not_ moving to a new city and helping you revamp an entire firehouse for everyone to find out I’m the Captain’s son and I’m still living at home.”

“Tough shit, kiddo, because my only priority right now is you living. Full stop. Period. Yeah, the job is important. We save people. But more than that, we need to start over. Both of us.”

“Why Texas?” Peter says, but he seems almost resigned. “Because the head guy asked for your help starting from scratch and you want to relive the glory days?”

“No. ‘Cause they need us. And I think it’ll be good for us.”

Peter throws a shirt into a box with more force than strictly necessary. “Oh, yeah. _Now_ I get it.”

“Problem?”

“God, you must – you think I’m so _weak_.” A pair of jeans is violently added to the pile. Tony’s MIT hoodie. A belt. A pair of socks. “You think if I so much as see Harry across the street, I’ll walk into the closest alley and–“

“No, I didn’t have that oddly specific scenario in mind. But I think a new city could be less…triggering.”

A dour glare is all the answer he gets before Peter turns his back.

“Pete. Buddy. Kiddo. PBJ.” No response. Time to break out the big guns. “Underoos.”

“Oh, that’s not fair,” Peter mutters, every word laced with venom. “I was three. What three-year-old isn’t running around in his underwear?”

“Tangent,” Tony says. “Look, Peter, this is a good thing. A great opportunity. Cost of living is way lower down there. New people to meet. The next big adventure.”

Peter still looks sceptical. “Not a fan.”

Tony’s good will evaporates in an instant. “Okay, well, you know what I’m not a fan of? Noticing my son hasn’t showed up for his shift halfway through the morning. Calling him over and over again and not getting an answer. Running to his apartment, where he doesn’t answer his door. Having to call my team to break in. Seeing him lying on the floor, unconscious. Doing CPR on my own child because his heart stopped!”

Peter flinches back at the shout, fingers clenching around the shirt in his hands. He blinks, sniffs, scrunches his nose up like he’s about to cry. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Okay, no.” Tony crosses the room and pulls him into a hug. “No more sorries. Not from you. Heard ‘em enough.”

“I like New York,” Peter mumbles, “but I don’t…not want to move.”

“I know. I almost told him no, but – this will be a good thing, Pete. I can feel it.”

“Yeah?” It’s such a fragile little word, a desperate seeking of reassurance. Peter’s about as tall as him, but when they hug, he makes himself smaller, hides his face in Tony’s shoulder. Like a kid who wants his dad.

“Yeah. New start.”

“New start,” Peter agrees. His protests are token, Tony knows. He’s scared. Adrift for the first time in a long time. Hurting. He clutches Tony a little tighter. “Thank you.”

He doesn’t need to say what for. Tony knows.

_Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for saving my life. Thank you for still looking after me. Thank you for being my dad._

“I love you, kid,” Tony whispers. It’s going to be a while – a long while – but they’ll be okay. Eventually. They have each other. “That’s an always thing. No matter what. You got that? I love you.”

“I love you too,” Peter says. “So, when are we leaving?”

Tony grins, even though Peter can’t see. “How about right now?” 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr at [akillerqueenwrites](https://akillerqueenwrites.tumblr.com), or my main blog [akillerqueenyouare](https://akillerqueenyouare.tumblr.com). come say hi, ask questions, leave prompts or just yell at me. i've also made a twitter, [@killerqueenao3](https://twitter.com/killerqueenao3) , if any of you want to talk to me there (it's mostly pictures of my dog). thank you for reading!


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